Freeserve puts limits on unmetered access

Not even Freeserve can keep it up all the time

Freeserve has warned users of its new unmetered internet service that they will have their connections cut if they spend too long online.

The ISP is telling potential customers it will dump them from its AnyTime service after two hours connection.

In a Freeserve FAQ on the relaunched service, the company states: “Freeserve AnyTime is not intended to support continuous or unattended internet access.” It adds: “If usage is such that it is significantly affecting service to other members of our network, Freeserve will instigate congestion control measures.”

A Freeserve spokeswoman said: “If a user leaves their internet connection unattended then we will cut the connection. This is nothing new.”

In September, Freeserve announced escalating losses caused by its support for unmetered access, which was costing the company around £2.50 per month per subscriber.

Speaking at the launch of the new service, John Pluthero, chief executive of Freeserve said: “We have been on a steep learning curve with unmetered services, which are very complicated to run.”

He added: “We were not confident our network had sufficient capacity until now to handle demand.”

Freeserve and AOL, whose Flat Rate service also offers unmetered access, are both based on Friaco, an unmetered access service that caps telco costs for ISPs.